IT WAS HARD TO IMAGINE SOMEONE LIKE JACK, WITH HIS LEAN BUILD, MANAGING TO KICK DOWN A BOY AS BURLY AS A BEAR.
Yet, in reality, the sidekick that seemed casual at first glance had been carefully amplified in multiple ways.
First, Jack's K7 ankle attachment provided a sudden burst of propulsion the moment he kicked. Additionally, Karien had tailored each student's K7 gear to their specific strengths. For Jack, an extra knee brace had been added, incorporating three layers of magic circles: Reinforcement, Weight Enhancement, and Acceleration.
These enhancements combined to unleash Jack's remarkable power. Of course, the bear-like boy’s complacency also played a part—after all, who would expect someone as scrawny as Jack to suddenly strike with such force?
After taking down his opponent, Jack initially planned to press forward, but a group of other muscular boys quickly closed in to surround him. Forced to retreat, he hurried back to where Mia, Sali, and the others stood.
"I told you—you’re way too reckless!" Sali, with his thick eyebrows, scolded Jack while ruffling his hair.
Jack swatted Sali’s hand away and muttered, "How was I supposed to know they’d stop us this early?"
Mia, her lake-blue eyes calm and her single ponytail swaying as she moved, drew her Azure Gale sword. She glanced at the encroaching group and said in a firm voice, "Be careful. They’re from Ironclad Academy."
Each of the affiliated schools under the Palos Magic Academy had its own unique focus. Ironclad Academy, for instance, emphasized physical training, producing students who often pursued careers as swordsmen, knights, or martial artists.
On the continent of Enze, mage professions were categorized based on three key attributes: physical strength, magical power, and mental resilience. A mage's choice of career typically aligned with their dominant trait.
* Those prioritizing physical strength often became swordsmen, knights, or martial artists.
* Those focusing on magical power tended toward roles such as magicians or healers.
* Those attuned to mental resilience pursued paths as wizards or mentalists.
However, these careers required a foundational balance of all three attributes before specializing. Some extraordinary mages even achieved all-around mastery. Typically, mages would only start choosing their careers after reaching the second tier of magehood, once they had established elemental channels, condensed elemental cyclones, and mastered a set of basic spells.
That said, many began career-specific training during the first tier. Ironclad Academy, for example, emphasized physical conditioning from the outset, resulting in towering, robust students.
Even so, Mia’s physical capabilities weren’t far behind. Years of training under resource-scarce conditions had honed her endurance. If nothing unexpected happened, she would likely choose the path of a swordsman.
Raising her Azure Gale sword, Mia pointed it at the Ironclad students encircling them. Her voice was cold.
"The practical assessment has just started. We don’t have any territories or scoring orbs yet. Why are you attacking us?"
The bear-like boy Jack had kicked over staggered to his feet, looking briefly sheepish at Mia’s questioning. But then he recalled what Adrian, their leader, had instructed, furrowed his brows, and unsheathed a massive sword.
"With talents like yours, why bother taking the test? You’d be better off quitting now and going home!"
As he spoke, the boy activated the enchantments on his sword and charged toward Mia. Meanwhile, other Ironclad students, wielding gauntlets or shields, advanced toward Jack, Sali, and the others.
In the viewing area reserved for team leaders, Karien observed Ironclad Academy’s students attacking Mia’s group right from the start. Turning toward Adrian, he remarked, "Adrian, don’t you think this is a bit underhanded?"
Adrian smirked and replied, "What’s the matter, Karien? Afraid already? The practical assessment is meant to test students’ adaptability in complex scenarios.
"Besides, the ones attacking are only mid-to-low-level students from our academy. If your Red Leaf Academy kids can’t even handle them, what’s the point of this test?"
Adrian had been slightly surprised when Jack managed to knock down an Ironclad student earlier, but it was clear that the boy had underestimated his opponent. Now, however, his students were going all out. Each one was a first-tier mage, armed and deploying enchanted weaponry.
Against them, those so-called students from Red Leaf Academy—barely qualified to be called mage apprentices—would surely crumble.
At the highest point of the viewing platform, Elder Alison, his neatly combed hair catching the sunlight, frowned as he watched Ironclad Academy’s students surround Red Leaf’s. The blatant targeting was excessive, though it didn’t violate any rules.
Unfortunately, the rules themselves put Red Leaf Academy at a disadvantage.
In this territorial battle, success depended heavily on team strength. Larger teams had a clear edge. Most academies fielded around a hundred participants, while Red Leaf Academy had only eleven. Among them, Mia was likely the only one capable of holding her own in combat.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Under such conditions, claiming any territory seemed an impossible feat for Red Leaf.
Still, Alison’s hands were tied. The practical assessment rules were set by the council, and most council elders were already inclined to disband Red Leaf Academy. When drafting the rules, they had little interest in considering its circumstances.
Despite Alison’s desire to advocate for Red Leaf, his influence was limited as a dean elder. He had only been assigned to oversee this assessment because the headmaster and other elders were occupied with a mission from the church.
To prevent Alison from making biased decisions, the council had even appointed Lidon, the headmaster of Black Night Academy, as a proxy elder to keep him in check.
This arrangement had led to the current predicament. Watching the Red Leaf students—particularly Mia—struggle in the simulation field, Alison sighed deeply, lamenting the promising young girl’s future.
In the southwestern region of the simulated battlefield, Mia narrowed her lake-blue eyes as she watched the Ironclad students charge. Taking a step forward, she spoke calmly to Jack and the others:
"Stay back. Let me handle this."
With a flick of her Azure Gale sword, Mia activated its enchantments.
Without relying on any external devices, she unleashed a spell amplified purely by her own strength and the sword’s power.
A tempest burst forth, resembling a giant hand that swept the charging Ironclad students off their feet and hurled them over twenty meters away.
A second-tier spell: Wind Repulsion.
In just three months, Mia had risen from a magic apprentice to a second-tier Magus.
This might sound impossible, but given Mia's extraordinary talent, relentless effort, and Karien’s generous supply of elemental coins, it was entirely achievable.
Though she hadn’t been a second-tier Magus for long, Mia had already mastered the spell "Wind Repulsion" with exceptional proficiency. Moreover, with Karien's teachings in aerodynamics, she had elevated the spell's power to its maximum potential.
On the observation platform, Adrian of Ironclad Academy leapt to his feet as he watched Mia’s spell blow several Ironclad students 10 to 20 meters away. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"How is this possible!?"
It wasn’t just Adrian—other academy leaders like Jessica and Vels were equally astonished.
Wasn’t this student, Mia, just a magic apprentice a mere three months ago? How had she advanced so rapidly?
Even though she was known as the only talented student of Red Leaf Academy, possessing a remarkable seven-star affinity for wind elements, the academy itself was devoid of resources. How could she have achieved such growth?
Jessica, who wore glasses, turned to Karien in curiosity. "How did you pull this off?"
Karien, the sole teacher at Red Leaf Academy, merely shrugged. "Oh, nothing much. Just doing what I could."
Clearly, he wasn’t about to divulge his methods. Jessica smirked faintly, adjusting her glasses. "It seems you’re full of surprises, Karien."
Meanwhile, Adrian wore a stormy expression. He never expected Red Leaf Academy to produce a second-tier Magus.
Among all the students in the combat evaluation, second-tier Magi were rare, making up only about 5% of participants. Even Ironclad Academy, a perennial frontrunner, had only seven students at that level.
Turning slowly toward Karien, Adrian growled, "Don’t celebrate too early. It’s just one second-tier Magus. Every academy has a few."
Karien shrugged again, his tone nonchalant. "Then let’s keep watching, shall we?"
At the top of the observation platform, Elder Alison’s usually dull eyes gleamed with surprise when Mia unleashed a second-tier spell.
He hadn’t expected Mia to have reached this level.
If nothing else, her magic rank and physical fitness could potentially attract the attention of representatives from universities or the Church, even if she failed to secure a territory.
This realization gave Alison some relief. At least Mia might have a future beyond this trial.
Still, how had Karien managed such a transformation in just three months? The few wind-element crystals Alison had discreetly provided Mia wouldn’t have been enough to achieve this.
(For three consecutive months, Alison had given Mia one wind-element crystal per month.)
Gazing at Karien from afar, Alison decided he would question him after the trial.
----------------------------------------
Inside the simulated battlefield, after blasting away the Ironclad students with her "Wind Repulsion" spell, Mia turned to her companions.
"Let’s move on. Don’t waste time on them. We need to keep going."
"What?!" Sali, his thick brows furrowing, exclaimed. "But I haven’t had my moment to shine yet!"
Sensing a faint wind-elemental fluctuation ahead, Mia began walking. "What’s the rush? We’ve got 24 hours for this trial. There’ll be plenty of chances for you to show off. For now, don’t waste energy on them. Collecting points is more important."
She had already sprinted ahead, leaving Sali to glance at the fallen Ironclad students. Shrugging, he said, "Fair enough!"
Just as he was about to follow, the bear-like student from Ironclad Academy rose again, charging at Sali.
"Not so fast!"
Sali, now grinning with excitement, turned and delivered a heavy punch directly to the bear-like boy’s face, sending him flying several meters.
Like Jack’s knee guards, Sali’s gauntlets and elbow pads were specially modified with "Reinforce," "Weight," and "Speed" enchantments. This punch easily matched the strength of a first-tier combatant, even at its lowest setting.
"Why push your luck?" Sali chuckled, satisfied, before catching up with Mia and the others.
----------------------------------------
A few minutes later, Mia followed the wind-element fluctuation to its source, discovering a 6-point sphere nestled in the branches of a tall tree.
"Not bad." She landed gracefully after retrieving it.
"How many points do we need to access the territory?" Jack asked.
"Ten points per person," Mia replied. "Once inside, the individual with the highest point total becomes the lord of the territory."
Jack nodded. "So, we need at least 110 points in total."
"There’s plenty of time," Mia reassured him. "There’s another wind fluctuation over there. Let’s check it out."
They headed toward the next target, but halfway there, Mia noticed the wind fluctuation weakening and shifting location.
"Someone else got to it," she muttered, scratching her head. "And it seems there aren’t any other wind fluctuations nearby."
"What about other elemental fluctuations?" Jack asked.
Mia shrugged. "I wouldn’t know. My affinity is only high for wind elements. What about you guys?"
The group exchanged awkward glances before falling silent.
"So… we have a bit of a problem," Sali said, laughing awkwardly. "None of us are sensitive to elemental fluctuations, except for your wind element. Without proper training, we can barely sense anything else."
"What now?" Jack asked, baffled.
Mia tapped her chin thoughtfully before her eyes lit up with mischief. A sly grin spread across her face.
"What’s with that look?" Jack asked warily. "You’re grinning like Karien. What kind of scheme are you cooking up?"
"Scheme?" Mia emphasized the word with mock indignation. "It’s called strategy!"
"Fine, fine." Sali, amused, pressed further. "So, what’s the plan?"
Mia found a flat rock and sat down. "It’s still early. Let’s rest for a couple of hours. After that…"
Her grin widened. "We’re going big!"